This week, two new rums with local pedigrees elbowed their way onto shelves, as Lacassine's Louisiana Spirits launched its Silver Bayou Rum and Spiced Bayou Rum.

The Silver uses a combination of molasses and raw, unprocessed sugar, both sourced from Louisiana.

"What makes a difference," said Trey Litel, president of Louisiana Spirits, "is the blend of those two materials and the fact that we pasteurize at the beginning to get rid of wild yeast." The end product has a rounded, rock candy sweetness.

The Spiced Bayou Rum infuses the Silver with a secret blend of spices. Litel said most of the ingredients are traditional in spiced rums.

"There is one ingredient that we're never going to tell anybody," he said, "and that ingredient comes out of Louisiana agriculture."

Both rums are bottled at 80 proof.

Louisiana Spirits has been in the works for three years. Even though the first products just arrived on the market, the distillery already is expanding. Construction has begun on a 12,000-square-foot addition, which will hold supplies and an aging room. In the next few weeks, Louisiana Spirits will fill 125 used Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels with rum.

When will the aged rum be released? Litel couldn't offer a definite date. The rum will stay in the barrels until Litel and his team feel it's ready to sell.